Random Stuff IX: Rogue Admins

[Sunbird she/her]

@Quiver Some of my favorite love stories are the Dragonsworn trilogy by Caitlyn McFarland (1st book is Soul of Smoke), Deborah Harkness's All Souls trilogy (beginning with A Discovery of Witches), and Amy Plum's Revenants series, beginning with Die for Me. They're all romance mixed with fantasy/adventure, but the love stories are part of the main plot in all three series.

@Morzathoth The first one that comes to my mind is from a novel called Marrow by Preston Norton. The title character can change his bone density and uses the ability in some pretty creative ways.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

@Morzathoth: I second Quiver's Umbrella Academy recommendation. The powers featured are as wonderfully weird as the setting, and the whole thing is dark and funny and sad and awesome. 

I want to submit a question….but if I do submit it for answers, could everyone promise up front not to get too depressed? It's not that the question itself is that bad, it's just kind of….yeah. 

[Quiver he/him]

Just now, Sunbird said:

@Quiver Some of my favorite love stories are the Dragonsworn trilogy by Caitlyn McFarland (1st book is Soul of Smoke), Deborah Harkness's All Souls trilogy (beginning with A Discovery of Witches), and Amy Plum's Revenants series, beginning with Die for Me. They're all romance mixed with fantasy/adventure, but the love stories are part of the main plot in all three series.

@Morzathoth The first one that comes to my mind is from a novel called Marrow by Preston Norton. The title character can change his bone density and uses the ability in some pretty creative ways.

Fantasy would be my preferred genre, or sci-fi. I'm not sure of any fantasy where romance is the main plot thread, rather than a two-legged, badly written subplot.

[Oversleep]

8 minutes ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

I want to submit a question….but if I do submit it for answers, could everyone promise up front not to get too depressed? It's not that the question itself is that bad, it's just kind of….yeah.

Now I'm curious.

[Orlion Blight he/him]

14 minutes ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

@Morzathoth: I second Quiver's Umbrella Academy recommendation. The powers featured are as wonderfully weird as the setting, and the whole thing is dark and funny and sad and awesome. 

I want to submit a question….but if I do submit it for answers, could everyone promise up front not to get too depressed? It's not that the question itself is that bad, it's just kind of….yeah. 

Do it! 

2 hours ago, Mistrunner said:

Another quote from my mother:

"Don't die in my kitchen. You'll ruin the pie."

If you're wondering why I was dying in the kitchen, it has something to do with a summer project for English on Lord of the Flies.

I understand. Lord of the Flies is such a great book, it's hard not to die from being awestruck!

[Sunbird she/her]

@Quiver When you say you're not sure of fantasies with romance as a main plot thread, do you mean that you aren't aware of any good ones and you're hoping to find some from our recommendations or that you're hesitant to try romance/fantasies because they've been poorly executed in your experience?

@TwiLyghtSansSparkles I am also curious about this question now.

[Quiver he/him]

2 minutes ago, Sunbird said:

@Quiver When you say you're not sure of fantasies with romance as a main plot thread, do you mean that you aren't aware of any good ones and you're hoping to find some from our recommendations or that you're hesitant to try romance/fantasies because they've been poorly executed in your experience?

@TwiLyghtSansSparkles I am also curious about this question now.

Both, I suppose? Romance seems...

A difficult genre, to do well, as indicated by a lot of terrible fanfiction, paranormal romance, and Twilight. So, I want good fantasy romance...but I'm wary of it.

(For obvious reasons, I'm wary of searching for "fantasy romance" via Google)

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

So, my question is: How can I portray a happy family dynamic well, especially without making it saccharine? I've got dysfunctional family dynamics down pat, but I'm trying to write a happy family and not only is it stumping me, but….I find it kind of boring? Yet the happy family is central to the story and its themes, so I can't just go "Screw it, here comes Dysfunction Junction." 

So if your family is a happy one, what's it like? 

[Quiver he/him]

Suicide Squad Spoilers/Justice League speculation.

 

Slipknot. What a joke character, right? In the comics, his power is "real good with ropes". The movie nerfs that to "can climb anything". What a loser, right?

Wrong.

Slipknot was introduced as a foe of Firestorm. You know, Firestorm. The guy whose super power is, literally, "can turn anything into anything". Slipknot fought that guy with a rope. Clearly, he is secret badass.

Now, the Justice League speculation: traditionally, Wonder Woman has no weakness. But classically, she had a serious weakness; she became powerless if a man tied her up.

Like, you know, with a rope.

Clearly, Slipknot was offed in Suicide Squad because otherwise, he would single-handedly defeat Wonder Woman who, in the absence of Superman, would be the heavy hitter.

Slipknot overpowered.

Edited August 9, 2016 by Quiver

[Kobold King he/him]

24 minutes ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

So, my question is: How can I portray a happy family dynamic well, especially without making it saccharine? I've got dysfunctional family dynamics down pat, but I'm trying to write a happy family and not only is it stumping me, but….I find it kind of boring? Yet the happy family is central to the story and its themes, so I can't just go "Screw it, here comes Dysfunction Junction." 

So if your family is a happy one, what's it like? 

 

Not free of bickering, but the bickering doesn't matter so much. It won't get held against you. No one holds a serious grudge. Nothing gets thrown back in your face hours after it happened. There's a fight here and there, there are disagreements, but thirty minutes later everyone will be happy and joking again.

A happy family dynamic doesn't mean a perfect family dynamic, or one that never knows strife; a happy family dynamic is one that recovers quickly.

[Orlion Blight he/him]

36 minutes ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

So, my question is: How can I portray a happy family dynamic well, especially without making it saccharine? I've got dysfunctional family dynamics down pat, but I'm trying to write a happy family and not only is it stumping me, but….I find it kind of boring? Yet the happy family is central to the story and its themes, so I can't just go "Screw it, here comes Dysfunction Junction." 

So if your family is a happy one, what's it like? 

Do you have examples in fiction? For example, you might look at the Weasley family in Harry Potter as an example: people still exacerbate each other, but the conflict is not as deep as the love they had for each other. They are supportive, but not uber dependent on each other.

For an example of a family that is too happy, see the South Park episode "All about Mormons." The Mormon family is way too saccharine (though because it's a parody for laughs, it works in that case).

Essentially, you want to avoid your family being a parody or "I love Big Brother" creepy.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

What about when one or both of the parents get angry with one or more of the kids? Again, I know what happens in a dysfunctional family—there might be shouting or lectures, but the kids get blamed for the parent's bad mood and a slew of other things, the kids are probably cried at, accused of trying to upset their parents, accused of lying when they refute the charges, probably bought to tears and yelled at for crying, punished for fighting back, etc., etc., and when it's all over, the kids are expected to forgive and forget as soon as the parents want to see the smiling faces of their offspring. But in a healthy family…..it's hard for me to imagine a situation with an angry parent having a happy ending.  

[Left he/him]

6 hours ago, Kaymyth said:

Really, you just can't take it at all seriously.  Focus on the pretty men and the angsting and the humor.  That's really all you need.

 

In other news, I am officially going to get my hair cut after WorldCon is over.  I have enough of the stuff that I'm planning to do a hair donation to a reputable charity.

Thanks for objectify people.....

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

7 minutes ago, ScottLeft said:

Thanks for objectify people.....

I don't think it's objectification to note that someone is attractive, or to mention said attractive people as a reason to watch a show. I mean, if you take it to an extreme, it could be objectification, but in this case, I don't think so. 

[Queen Elsa Steelheart she/her]

On 11 May 2016 at 8:17 PM, Delightful said:

Mailliw, yeah Elsa and I are pretty good friends.

More like cousins  But we are always mistaken as sisters

 

@Delightful you are so delightful

Edited August 9, 2016 by Queen Elsa Steelheart

[Delightful]

6 hours ago, Quiver said:

@Delightful

So, there's a show I like, called Haven. Kind of, supernatural procedural. One episode involved a Golem.

...except, for some reason, the savy roguish character? Upon hearing they were chasing a Golem?

"A Gollum? Like Lord of the Rings?"

Savvy rogue.....I suppose on Opposite Day? 

6 hours ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

I've heard the writers described it once as "fan fiction, with the Bible as our canon." So they get a good bit wrong there, too. One episode was so bad it actually made my brother quit the show. (Don't remember which one, as I've never watched.)

I'll leave that up to Delightful, though I'd like to hear your perspective.

Sure

 

2 hours ago, Quiver said:

Fantasy would be my preferred genre, or sci-fi. I'm not sure of any fantasy where romance is the main plot thread, rather than a two-legged, badly written subplot.

Shades of Milk and Honey comes to mind. And I enjoyed Daughter of Smoke and Bone as well, which has fairly prominent romance  

1 hour ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

So, my question is: How can I portray a happy family dynamic well, especially without making it saccharine? I've got dysfunctional family dynamics down pat, but I'm trying to write a happy family and not only is it stumping me, but….I find it kind of boring? Yet the happy family is central to the story and its themes, so I can't just go "Screw it, here comes Dysfunction Junction." 

So if your family is a happy one, what's it like? 

Basically what Kobold said: there is tension and conflict but it's not most of the time and it's not relationship defining. People will disagree, be angry or disgruntled or whatever for a while, and learn to either compromise or live with the difference. Maybe there's something they always disagree on ("you're not going out wearing *that*") but the basis of the relationship is love. Sometimes that conflicts with individual self-interests but you sort of work it out.

10 minutes ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

What about when one or both of the parents get angry with one or more of the kids? Again, I know what happens in a dysfunctional family—there might be shouting or lectures, but the kids get blamed for the parent's bad mood and a slew of other things, the kids are probably cried at, accused of trying to upset their parents, accused of lying when they refute the charges, probably bought to tears and yelled at for crying, punished for fighting back, etc., etc., and when it's all over, the kids are expected to forgive and forget as soon as the parents want to see the smiling faces of their offspring. But in a healthy family…..it's hard for me to imagine a situation with an angry parent having a happy ending.  

Basically, the argument is still less important than the relationship. Everyone's mad at each other for a day or so but then you hear a funny joke you want to share or something and it's been long enough that you're not mad at each other anymore because your relationship has stuff to fall back on that isn't defined by the argument. 

When I vent about my mum - give it a day max and we're fine again. There's maybe one underlying thing we keep arguing about but it's far from our entire relationship. 

[Chaos he/him]

3 hours ago, Delightful said:

Savvy rogue.....I suppose on Opposite Day? 

Sure

 

Shades of Milk and Honey comes to mind. And I enjoyed Daughter of Smoke and Bone as well, which has fairly prominent romance  

Basically what Kobold said: there is tension and conflict but it's not most of the time and it's not relationship defining. People will disagree, be angry or disgruntled or whatever for a while, and learn to either compromise or live with the difference. Maybe there's something they always disagree on ("you're not going out wearing *that*") but the basis of the relationship is love. Sometimes that conflicts with individual self-interests but you sort of work it out.

Basically, the argument is still less important than the relationship. Everyone's mad at each other for a day or so but then you hear a funny joke you want to share or something and it's been long enough that you're not mad at each other anymore because your relationship has stuff to fall back on that isn't defined by the argument. 

When I vent about my mum - give it a day max and we're fine again. There's maybe one underlying thing we keep arguing about but it's far from our entire relationship. 

Delightful, you are extremely insightful (and not just because I agree with what you said). Just the way you discuss things is wise and mature. Rock on.

[Silverblade5 he/him]

Cell service! Yay!

Twi, I'd recommend looking at the Apple Family. Rewatch Pinkie Apple Pie to get an idea of what I mean. 

[Delightful]

43 minutes ago, Chaos said:

Delightful, you are extremely insightful (and not just because I agree with what you said). Just the way you discuss things is wise and mature. Rock on.

Wow. Thanks man  

[Queen Elsa Steelheart she/her]

5 hours ago, Delightful said:

Wow. Thanks man  

She is also very @Delightfuland the best cousin ever

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

I thought of yet another problem with Cursed Child.

Spoiler

The rumor that Scorpius is Voldemort's son due to his parents' improbable and frankly stupid use of the Timey Wimey Ball is a pretty big character -development point, not only for Scorpius, but for Draco. But this is the Wizarding World. They have a potion to cure the common cold. A potion to keep werewolves from going insane under the full moon. A potion to regrow bones. Two of those—the cold-curer and the bone-regrowth—even have cutesy brand names, implying that there may be generic versions on the market somewhere. They even have a potion that turns you into someone else, for an hour at a time. 

My question to you fine people is this: Why. 

In the name of Merlin's most bedazzled hammer pants. 

Does the Wizarding World. 

NOT HAVE A STORMING PATERNITY TEST???!???!

 

[Edgedancer he/him]

2 minutes ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

I thought of yet another problem with Cursed Child.

  Hide contents

The rumor that Scorpius is Voldemort's son due to his parents' improbable and frankly stupid use of the Timey Wimey Ball is a pretty big character -development point, not only for Scorpius, but for Draco. But this is the Wizarding World. They have a potion to cure the common cold. A potion to keep werewolves from going insane under the full moon. A potion to regrow bones. Two of those—the cold-curer and the bone-regrowth—even have cutesy brand names, implying that there may be generic versions on the market somewhere. They even have a potion that turns you into someone else, for an hour at a time. 

My question to you fine people is this: Why. 

In the name of Merlin's most bedazzled hammer pants. 

Does the Wizarding World. 

NOT HAVE A STORMING PATERNITY TEST???!???!

 

Simple answer

Spoiler

they do but gossiping is just much more fun.

 

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Just now, Edgedancer said:

Simple answer

  Hide contents

they do but gossiping is just much more fun.

 

Sure, but still….

Spoiler

In the Muggle world, juicy-but-false rumors (Britney Spears died! 9/11 was an inside job!) are shut down very quickly and their adherents are duly mocked. Of course, in the Wizarding World, we won't be talking about the press, a vast network of organizations that can spread information far and wide the second they have access to it. No, we're only talking about the Malfoy family, who have enough money to ensure literally everyone has a verified copy of the test results, not to mention documentation proving that the test was valid. So why did Draco not do this? Or if he did, why did no one believe him? 

 

[Delightful]

11 minutes ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

Sure, but still….

  Hide contents

In the Muggle world, juicy-but-false rumors (Britney Spears died! 9/11 was an inside job!) are shut down very quickly and their adherents are duly mocked. Of course, in the Wizarding World, we won't be talking about the press, a vast network of organizations that can spread information far and wide the second they have access to it. No, we're only talking about the Malfoy family, who have enough money to ensure literally everyone has a verified copy of the test results, not to mention documentation proving that the test was valid. So why did Draco not do this? Or if he did, why did no one believe him? 

 

For funsies!

Edited August 9, 2016 by Delightful

[Edgedancer he/him]

7 minutes ago, TwiLyghtSansSparkles said:

Sure, but still….

  Reveal hidden contents

In the Muggle world, juicy-but-false rumors (Britney Spears died! 9/11 was an inside job!) are shut down very quickly and their adherents are duly mocked. Of course, in the Wizarding World, we won't be talking about the press, a vast network of organizations that can spread information far and wide the second they have access to it. No, we're only talking about the Malfoy family, who have enough money to ensure literally everyone has a verified copy of the test results, not to mention documentation proving that the test was valid. So why did Draco not do this? Or if he did, why did no one believe him? 

 

Because...

Spoiler

the employers of the DNA test firm just couldn't be bothered to do their paper work?